Height Converter
5 feet 8 inches equals 172.72 cm, and 180 cm equals about 5 feet 10.87 inches. This height converter switches body height between feet and inches and centimeters. Enter a value in one format and the calculator gives you the other using the exact definition of 2.54 centimeters per inch. Feet and inches are handled as a mixed-unit measurement, not decimal feet. The converter multiplies whole or decimal feet by 12, adds the entered inches, and then converts the total. In the other direction, it splits total inches into whole feet and a remaining-inch value. Negative inputs are rejected. Zero and decimal values are accepted, and an inches entry above 12 is treated as additional inches rather than rejected.
Quick answer
1 inch equals 2.54 cm and 1 foot equals 12 inches (30.48 cm).
What this tells you
- •1 inch equals 2.54 cm and 1 foot equals 12 inches (30.48 cm).
- •To convert to cm, multiply total inches by 2.54.
- •To convert from cm, divide by 2.54 to get total inches, then split into feet and inches.
- •Results are rounded to 2 decimal places.
- •The internal total-inches result is rounded to 4 decimal places.
- •Negative feet, inches, or centimeters are invalid, while zero is accepted by the formula.
- •An inches value above 12 still converts mathematically, though conventional height notation would carry it into feet.
How to Use
- 1Choose whether you are converting from feet and inches to cm, or from cm to feet and inches.
- 2Enter the height value.
- 3Click Convert to get the result.
- 4Read the formula label to confirm which entered values were converted.
- 5For conventional feet-and-inches notation, enter fewer than 12 inches or carry each group of 12 into the feet field.
How It Works
Formula
To cm: centimeters = (feet x 12 + inches) x 2.54. To feet and inches: total inches = cm / 2.54, then feet = floor(total inches / 12), inches = remainder.The converter uses the international standard of 2.54 cm per inch. For feet and inches to cm, it first converts feet to inches, adds the remaining inches, then multiplies by 2.54. For cm to feet and inches, it divides by 2.54 to get total inches, then splits into whole feet and remaining inches.
Calculation note: values are processed in the order shown above, using the current input units.
Worked Examples
5 feet 8 inches to cm
Convert feet to inches first: 5 x 12 = 60. Add the remaining inches: 60 + 8 = 68 total inches. Multiply by 2.54: 68 x 2.54 = 172.72 cm.
180 cm to feet and inches
Divide 180 by 2.54 to get 70.87 total inches. Divide by 12 to get 5 feet with 10.87 inches remaining.
6 feet 2.5 inches to centimeters
Six feet is 72 inches. Adding 2.5 gives 74.5 total inches, and 74.5 x 2.54 equals 189.23 cm exactly to the displayed precision.
170 cm to feet and inches
170 divided by 2.54 is about 66.9291 total inches. Five feet accounts for 60 inches, leaving 6.93 inches after the remainder is rounded to 2 decimal places.
Zero height input
The conversion formula accepts zero and returns zero in each unit. This is mathematically defined even though it does not describe a person's body height.
Common Height Conversions
Frequently searched height conversions between feet/inches and centimeters.
| Feet & Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|
| 5'0" | 152.40 cm |
| 5'2" | 157.48 cm |
| 5'4" | 162.56 cm |
| 5'6" | 167.64 cm |
| 5'8" | 172.72 cm |
| 5'10" | 177.80 cm |
| 6'0" | 182.88 cm |
| 6'2" | 187.96 cm |
Table values use exact inches multiplied by 2.54 and display centimeters to 2 decimal places.
How mixed feet and inches are parsed
The feet and inches fields are separate numeric quantities. An entry of 5 feet and 8 inches becomes 5 x 12 + 8, or 68 total inches. Entering 5.8 in the feet field means 5.8 decimal feet, which equals 69.6 inches before any inches-field value is added. It does not mean 5 feet 8 inches.
The converter does not require the inches field to stay below 12. Five feet and 14 inches becomes 74 total inches and converts to the same centimeters as 6 feet 2 inches. Keeping inches below 12 makes the notation easier to read, but both inputs are mathematically equivalent in the to-centimeters path.
When converting from centimeters, the code first finds total inches, then takes the largest whole number of feet that fits. The leftover inches are rounded to 2 decimals. Total inches are also returned to 4 decimals. Because displayed values are rounded independently, converting a rounded result back may differ by a small fraction of a centimeter.
This tool uses the international inch, which is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters. It does not account for measurement posture, footwear, time-of-day variation in standing height, or uncertainty in the measuring device.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to convert feet to inches first. You cannot multiply feet directly by 2.54. Convert feet to inches (multiply by 12), add the remaining inches, then multiply the total by 2.54.
- Rounding too early. Convert the full height first, then round the final result to 2 decimal places for accuracy.
- Confusing height conversion with general length conversion. This tool is designed for body height in feet and inches, which uses a combined format rather than decimal feet.
- Entering 5.8 feet when you mean 5 feet 8 inches. Decimal feet and mixed feet-and-inches notation are different.
- Assuming the converter rejects 12 inches or more. It accepts the value, but conventional notation would carry those inches into feet.
- Reading 10.87 remaining inches as 10 inches and 87 hundredths of a foot.
- Expecting a rounded reverse conversion to reproduce every original decimal exactly.
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